Bike / Walk - It's an easy ride or walk along the Virginia Capital Trail and the Downtown Canal Walk / riverfront. Once you arrive, covered bike parking will be provided in the Arcade in the spring.
Bus - We are a 5 minute walk from the Cary + 10th stop, a 6 minute walk from 8th + Byrd, a 7 minute walk from 14th + Dock, and a 12 minute walk from Main Street Station.
Drive - There are garages and on street parking options nearby. We are working on providing parking for our visitors. Please view the parking map below. Free parking after 6 pm weekdays and on weekends along E Byrd St and by the Pipeline Overlook.
Yes, dogs will be welcome to hangout in the arcade once it opens in spring 2025.
While both are easy to pick up and we encourage you to give them a shot, you don't have to ever step on court to have a great time at The Plant. If they aren't for you, The Plant is still a great place to catch up with friends, get some work done, or just hang and people watch in a fun atmosphere.
Plus, with Smokestack Pizza & Bar The Plant Café open most hours of the day, you’ll always have great food and drinks to keep you going!
Please send an email to hello@padelplant.com or give us a call and we'd be happy to answer any questions.
Padel is a racquet sport that strikes the perfect balance between tennis and squash.
Although it was invented in 1969 in Mexico, it gained massive popularity in Spain over the last 20 years and is now a sensation across the globe.
Padel is played with a thick, perforated racquet and a depressurized version of a tennis ball.
A padel court is larger than a pickleball court but smaller than a tennis court with a net separating the two teams. It is played in doubles and with tennis scoring.
The court is built with glass walls, some mesh fencing, and has a turf surface easy on the knees.
If you need more players for a court reservation, there is a game match feature which allows similarly rated players to see your match and join it. We also recommend joining our whatsapp group chat.
We host social events throughout the week which are the perfect places to find new friends around your skill level. Check out our events page to see what’s happening this week.
We provide racquets and balls which can be borrowed, rented, or purchased.
Please wear active footwear and avoid wearing black-soled shoes on our pickleball courts.
To book a court, head over to book.padelplant.com and follow the instructions - you may need to create an account. If you have any questions please call us at 111-222-3344 or email us at hello@padelplant.com.
To see our schedule for the week and join events, please head over to the What’s Happening page.
When we said we were a family of entrepreneurs and sporting addicts we left one thing out - our love for pizza.
Smokestack Pizza is our idea of the perfect pie for all occasions - whether you are stepping off the court, jumping off your bike, or hanging with friends having a beer and enjoying some sunshine.
We’ve worked with legendary pizza expert Gregorio Fierro to create the perfect light and tasty American artisanal style pizza.
Learn more here.
Find our different menus here.
Smokestack Pizza will serve our American artisanal pies, fresh focaccia sandwiches, salads, and gelato.
The café will have freshly made pastries, delicious espresso and coffee drinks, and grab-n-go items.
The bar has five taps, craft cocktails, and selected wines.
Smokestack Pizza is outside in the covered Arcade, accessible right from the Canal Walk.
The Plant Café and Smokestack Pizza's Bar are both located inside The Plant steps away from both entrances.
From the Main Entrance, walk past the welcome desk and hang a left.
From the Canal Walk Entrance, just walk up the steps and its just within the doors.
The café opens at 7 am weekdays and 8 am weekends.
Serving great coffee, espresso drinks, and breakfast necessities bright and early for our Canal Walk neighbors.
THE PLANT RVA is a revitalization project of the long-abandoned Haxall Canal Hydro Plant. Its mission is to re-open this historic space to the public and transform it into an active social hub and focal-point along The Canal Walk, all centered around great community, sport, food, drink, and fun.
The Classical Revival-Style Hydroelectric Plant was constructed for the Virginia Passenger & Power Company in 1901 to generate power for the city’s electric streetcar network (America's first streetcar!).
Otherwise known as the 12th Street Power Station, the Plant was in use till it was decommissioned in 1968. It has stayed unused and vacant since.
Here are some historic pictures:
Co-founded by Ed Trask and Jon Baliles, the power plant was the location of their first festival in 2012. A decade later, they revisited the site for their 5th festival whose murals still adorn the building today.
The RVA Street Art Festival was created in 2012 to showcase amazing local and national artistic talent and inspire people by “watching art come to life.” They do this by supporting youth art education, promoting local talent, and revitalizing areas of the City
Learn more here.
The Canal Walk will remain open and accessible 24/7 with a new covering overhead allowing protection from the elements and new lighting for safety at night. *Construction may affect accessibility, we apologize for an inconvenience.
We are working closely with Venture Richmond to make the Canal Walk a lively, amenity-rich area that lives up to its full potential for the City.
